


The New Normal

by raidbossmadi



Category: Jurassic Park - All Media Types, Jurassic Park Original Trilogy (Movies), Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mix of book and movie canon, Multi, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Relationship, Slice of Life, everyone gets together together into one big science polycule, mostly just for the events of the Lost world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:08:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29845437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raidbossmadi/pseuds/raidbossmadi
Summary: Change is a funny thing, sometimes you end up in the aftermath of a crisis and learn more about yourself than you thought you would. It's easier to deal with together than alone and that's why Ellie's so damn determined that they have to take Ian in.Sometimes the thing you needed most in life was staring you right in the face.
Relationships: Alan Grant/Ian Malcolm/Ellie Sattler, Alan Grant/Ian Malcolm/Ellie Sattler/Sarah Harding
Kudos: 6





	1. Escape

Everyone on the Ingen helicopter was asleep, everyone except for Ellie Sattler. 

She tried not to find herself resenting the fact that nearly everyone else had managed to nod off during the flight. Not her though, Ellie had never been one for sleeping on planes and presently the thought of sleeping at all seemed so far away. Not when she was afraid she would close her eyes and be back on the island. 

Dr.Malcolm had the most excuse out of anyone, being drugged as he was. It was only once they were no longer in peril that she had noticed just how rough he looked, his skin having taken on a sickly pallor. It was for the best Dr.Harding had been able to put him on morphine, even if it had sent him into a series of panic filled delirious rants. For the moment at least it seemed he was resting. 

She leaned over, filled with the briefest moment with panic that was not silenced until she placed fingers gingerly on the side of his neck and felt his pulse. It’s slower than she’d like but given the circumstances she’s just glad he had one at all. She’d grown a protective fondness for the chaotician, they hadn’t known each other before coming to the island but Ellie had been caught by his charm and in the hours she spent knelt beside him comforting him in his drugged stupor, holding him down as she shot morphine into his shoulder to keep his pain in check. She realized how feverish he was as she drew back her fingers to rest on her own arm, her skin feeling frigid compared to his. 

Ellie looked back over at Alan and the kids, the same protective instinct she felt for Ian extended of course to Alan but Lex and Tim as well. They had all come out of this experience battered, broken, and bruised; however they also knew that the others would have their back. 

She couldn’t bring herself to look over at Mr.Hammond, however, not after everything he had orchestrated which had caused so much harm. 

The sound of the helicopters blades slowing to a stop seemed so much louder than it should have been. For the past half hour the sound of them cutting air had been a continuous background drone that, now absent, seemed to make the silence deafening. 

Ellie looked over to see the jolt of the aircraft landing had woken Alan and the kids. Alan met her gaze and gave her a small reassuring smile which she returned. 

“Everything’s going to be fine kids, the hospital will take good care of us all.” Alan whispered, his voice barely able to hit even that. 

A low pained moan made her head snap back to the direction of Ian’s chair. The chaotician’s eyes fluttered open to slits before he began to shift.

“Dr.Malcolm, Ian, you need to stay still. Do you know where you are?” Ellie asks as the doors to the helicopter opened and Mr. Hammond leaned out to talk to the personnel waiting. 

“Of C-course I do. Dr.Sattler this is-uh the cabin of a small aircraft, helicopter I would guess which means we aren’t on the island any...“ Ian’s rambling was cut short suddenly, his eyes, which had been glazed with fever for the better part of the night unfocused and he slumped in his seat.

“Ian! Come on stay with me. Ian!” She said frantically fighting the urge to slap him back to awareness. He abruptly clutched her hand in his. 

“Dr.Sattler…you- you tell my kids I love them yeah..” The words came out slurred and near incomprehensible as his eyes rolled back. 

“Alan, tell them to hurry up. Ian’s in trouble!” She shouted the words coming out much louder than she intended. 

Alan didn’t need to do so, the staff who were in the midst of unloading the kids surged forward the two paleontologists making room in the cramped cabin as they collected Ian on a stretcher and rushed him into the waiting hospital doors. 

“Ellie, look at me.” Alan said softly his voice cracked as cupped the side of her face and tilted it towards him. “It’s going to be alright.” 

She nodded as she looked into his eyes,even after all they had been through those eyes still held the comfort that she always found in them. 

As the rest of the staff moved to help Ellie and Alan out of the helicopter everything seemed to move in slow motion. She watched as they directed Alan to a stretcher a little further away than she felt comfortable being from him.

“Deep breaths Dr.Sattler, you’re safe here.” The nurse who had helped her onto a waiting stretcher said demonstrating the breaths they wanted her to take. She was having a panic attack, only the most recent in the string of them she’d had in the last 24 hours. 

“I want to stay with Alan.” She said sharply as she looked up and over a few paces where Alan was being assessed by his own nurse. 

“You both seem to have light injuries, the doctors want to check you over anyway. We’ll keep you in the same room, I promise Dr.Sattler.” 

“Where’s the kids.” Alan asked as if he only now noticed their absence. 

“They’re being examined in the pediatric ward, we’ll keep you updated on their condition as soon as we get you checked out Dr.Grant.” The nurse placated. 

Ellie breathed a sigh of relief. That was one good thing to add to the tiny list of good things she had started keeping since their rescue. They wheeled her closer to him getting the last bit of information from the helicopter pilot before they began wheeling the duo inside. 

The hospital room was a bit small, not a lot of space between the two beds. It was fine though, Ellie and Alan ended up being low priority patients and the room had really only been built to fit a single bed. Ellie picked at the food tray in front of her, not much of it had interested her at the moment but she forced herself to at least power through the fruit cup to not touch lunch at all would worry the nurses she was sure. 

Ellie had taken the least amount of damage. The abrasion on her shoulder and some bruised ribs, the doctors had given her some acetaminophen and orders to take it easy. Gladly, she complied. Alan on the other hand, had a sprained wrist he’d managed not to notice until the nurse had poked at it and a fair amount of cuts and scrapes from the tumble into the ravine from the Rex paddock. All in all things could have been a lot worse. 

She walked across the room and placed the barely touched lunch tray on the counter to be taken back out. Alan was fast asleep and yet again it was just her awake in an unfamiliar place. She drew the curtains closed blocking out the silvers of mid afternoon sun that shone in and situated herself back in her bed. It wouldn’t do much good to avoid sleep for much longer she thought and leaned back into the sterile smelling pillows. Before she knew it she was out like a light. 

— 

“Dr.Sattler, Dr.Grant! You’re alright!” Lex and Tim both exclaimed as they rushed through the door into the cramped hospital room. The two paleontologists were expecting to be discharged either this afternoon or the next morning, they had made plans to stick around in a nearby hotel until they knew the state of everyone else. 

This was the first time either of them had seen The kids since they’d stepped off the helicopter. They were dressed in tacky tourist style San José shirts from the hospital gift shop, the staff had brought Ellie and Alan the same when they’d told the staff they had no idea what had become of their luggage. 

“Lex, Tim, you kids alright?” Alan asked, as he looked them both over. Tim’s arm was in a sling and Lex had a steri-strip on the gash on her face. 

They nodded. 

“We’re fine Dr.Grant. They’re letting us go this afternoon, though our mother won’t be here to see us til Friday.” Tim said. 

“You can stay with us until she gets here.” Ellie said, it was a definitive statement. Alan made a noise of agreement. 

“You sure? We’d hate to inconvenience you both.” Lex fidgeted in her seat, not able to meet Dr.Grants eyes. 

“Lex, you and Tim could never be an inconvenience. Here.” Alan fumbled to grab the notepad on his bedside table before extending a piece of paper to the kids, “That’s mine and Ellie’s email. The top number is our house phone and the bottom is the one in our trailer at the dig site. If you kids need anything, I mean _anything_ you don’t hesitate to get in contact with us, ok?” 

“Yes, Dr.Grant.” 

“And for heaven's sake, call me Alan,” He cracked a smile, Ellie did too. It was hard to believe no more than forty-eight hours ago Alan would have stuck his nose up at the idea of even interacting with a child, now here he was bending over backwards to make sure these two knew they had someone who understood them. 

“Have either of you heard anything about Dr.Malcolm?” Lex asked after a short lull in conversation. 

“He’s in the ICU, the doctors told us he was in surgery for about sixteen hours. They won’t let anyone see him until he’s more stable,” Ellie said. She’d elected to leave out the fact his heart had stopped on the operating table twice and the surgeons had said the second time around they were almost prepared to call time of death. 

She knew she didn’t need to sugarcoat anything around Lex and Tim but it had been a hard pill for the two adults to swallow, much less a burden two already traumatized children needed to live with. Luckily they seemed satisfied with that answer. 

The talk of Ian’s condition however, reminded her she still had promise to keep. She eyed the worn leather cover of the address book she had managed to get recovered from his things thanks to the help of one of the nurses, the night shift lead who had taken a sympathetic liking to the paleontologist pair. Ellie had only known the address book existed because while Alan had been debating about which of the two cars he was going to get into Dr.Malcolm had, rather slyly, asked her for her phone number. Perhaps against her better judgement but also having the feeling that Alan would come around to tolerating the man she’d given it to. 

“How are you feeling?” 

Alan quirked a brow “I’m alright.” 

“Why don't you take the kids down to the food court? You’ve barely left the room, surely it will do you some good.” 

“Yeah, sure, can I...get you anything while I’m down there Ellie?” 

“Something sweet if they’ve got it.”

“I think there were some candy bars in the hospital gift shop.” Tim offered. 

“Sounds like a plan then,” Alan said, getting out of bed and stretching. “Come on kids. We’ll be back soon Ellie.” 

She waited for the door to click shut, at which point she grabbed the address book and began to leaf through it. Ian’s handwriting was remarkably neat so she quickly found the bold letters that read, emergency contact : Karen Stern. She read over the phone number before she picked up the receiver and dialed it. 

It went to voicemail. 

“Hi, I’m calling for Karen Stern. My name is Ellen Sattler, I’m on a project with Ian Malcolm and-“ 

The phone picked up. “Hi, yes this is Karen. How can I help you Ms.Sattler? 

“Dr.Malcolm had asked me to get in contact with you to pass a message along to his kids, he wants them to know that he’s fine and not worry about him.” 

“Why what’s happened? 

Ellie paused for a minute, thinking back to everything that had happened over the past few days. The island, the tour, the raptors, the rex. She exhaled sharply. “There was an accident on site, we’ve all been evacuated. I’m not at liberty to disclose anything else at this moment Ms.Stern.” 

“I see, well I’ll be sure to pass Ian’s message along. Thank you for calling Ms.Sattler.” 

Ellie set the phone down and sat in the silence. Despite his general demeanor and attitude Ian was a good father. He had been dying in a helicopter with people who were practically strangers and his last thought before he’d lost consciousness was to make sure his kids didn’t worry about him. Really he wasn’t so bad at all. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by Alan and the kids returning to the room. Alan placed the chocolate bar in her hand with a smile. 

“Thanks Alan.” 

“Anything for you Ellie.” He said, and placed a kiss on her forehead. For the first time since they’d boarded the helicopter to get off Isla Nublar she gave a genuine smile. 

“Groooss!” Tim exclaimed, earning him a light slap on the shoulder from his sister. 

“Shut up, let them have a moment.” 

Alan and Ellie looked at each other and their smiles grew, threatening to spilt their faces. They laughed for the first time in what felt like years. Even in the aftermath of this whole terrible event they could find comfort in the little things and in each other. 


	2. When the pain weighs out the pride

“I know, I know. Ellie and I would be there in a heartbeat if we could, but something came up on our trip. We’re gonna be tied up for a bit, have Annie and Fifer step up in our stead. They’re good kids, they can handle it.”

Ellie didn’t look up from where she was seated in an armchair by the hotel room window. She was squinting at a crossword puzzle in the morning paper, not that she knew nearly enough Spanish to be able to understand it. 

“Dig team call again?” 

“Uh-huh, Jared's mad that we can’t just hop on a plane and go back.”

“It’s not like complaining about it makes us want to come back any faster in the first place.” 

Alan smirked, he was glad to see her sassy side returning. It had been about two weeks now they’d been in San Josè instead of the weekend venture this was meant to be. They had stopped screaming in their sleep around the fourth day, but still the nightmares persisted. Lex and Tim had been picked up by their mother a few days before. She was very thankful that the two paleontologists had been so willing to look after her children and apologized profusely even when they had both assured her it was no trouble at all. 

That left them with Ian to deal with and that was far more messy. They had to wait for him to be cleared from the ICU in order to see him, and given the updates they had been allowed to receive that could take time. Presently Ian was in a medically induced coma. He’d lost a lot of blood, the break was worse than expected and the exposure to the rain storm and humid Costa Rican weather before Muldoon and Ellie had found him had let an infection set in. 

Ellie sighed and crumpled up the newspaper, tossing it towards the trash bin in the corner though it hit the rim and missed. 

Alan stopped what he was doing. “What’s eating you Ellie?” 

“I can’t stand it, the worlds going on like everything’s normal! They all have no idea what’s on that island and-“ 

“And you’re worried about it?” 

“You’re not?” 

“I didn’t say that, but I’m asking about you.” 

She slumped further into the chair, pulling her knees up to her chest. “It’s all just so normal here Alan. Three people died, Ian’s barely holding on, and the world just keeps going like none of it happened.” 

Alan approached the armchair and leaned against the side of it to rub her back soothingly. 

“I know Ellie, it’s gonna take time for things to be alright. I don’t expect either of us to bounce back from this quickly.” 

“You’re right. The world doesn’t stop turning for any other catastrophe, I just need time, ” She placed her hand on his “You always know what to say.” 

He smiled “And here I thought I wasn’t a people person. Guess the dinosaurs have changed that too.” 

Ellie uncurls from the ball she’d pulled herself into and rose to hug him, her head rested against his chest. She listens to his heart beat and it anchors her. “You’re still my Alan though, I don’t think anything could change that.” 

——-

They had gotten the call Ian has been released from the ICU and had hurried down to the hospital to be there the precise minute visiting hours began. Neither of them are sure what to expect when they walk into Ian’s hospital room but they aren’t prepared regardless.

The first thing that drew their attention was the traction device that held his leg in place. The leg itself was heavily bandaged, but surgical rods poked from beneath them held together by an external fixator. 

“It’s not as bad as it looks, it’s uh, it’s worse!” Ian chuckled and Ellie immediately clocked the dreamy undertone in his voice, the same one he had shortly after she’d given him the first morphine injection. At least they were keeping him comfortable. 

“How are you feeling Ian?” She asked working to keep her voice level as she approached his bedside, Alan close behind her. 

“Like I'm gonna wind up with a morphine addiction.” He said and flicked one of various tubes that snaked into his arm. 

“Don’t be ridiculous Ian.” 

“Alan!” 

“I uh, I appreciate the optimism Dr.Grant really I do, but I haven’t seen my sense of self control since, since uh high school, you know what I mean?” 

“You just worry about getting better, if the drugs are helping right now that’s what matters.” Alan gave a little shrug, he had suspected the chaotician had addiction issues in his past. His behaviour lined up with someone desperately lonely because of a pit they’d dug themselves and when he’d mentioned he was always looking for ‘the next Ex-Mrs.Malcolm ‘ it all but solidified that he clearly had self-destructive tendencies. Alan supposed you had to be a _little_ self destructive to throw yourself willingly into the path of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. 

“He does have a point, you shouldn’t be worrying yourself with what-ifs just now.” 

“Ahhh Dr.Sattler all I do is get hung up on the what ifs, it’s my job after all, it’s- it’s all Chaos theory.” 

“Ian please. I know it’s your job to get hung up on all the small things, but don’t you think it’s in your best interest to rest your mind as well as your body.” Ellie offered him a caring look and took his hand in hers. She always was the more nurturing of the two of them, Alan knew that look in her eyes and knew the conversation they were going to have when they got back to the hotel. He just wasn’t sure what he thought of it yet. 

They sat there for a while, neither indicating they wanted to leave, Ellie just perched at the bedside wordlessly holding onto Ians hand. Alan was flipping through the tv channels. In the hall He could hear the nurses doing their morning rounds. 

“You’re in pain.” Alan remarked, he had watched as Ian’s jaw clenched for the second in time in a short period. It wasn't hard to tell the man wasn't keen on telegraphing his pain.

Ellie frowned and looked at the infusion pump by his bedside. “You’re on PCA, why haven’t you taken your next dose.” 

“I, uh I was serious about the addiction thing. I would rather power through. It’s not so, uh so bad in the mornings it’s night time that really starts to get to me. Besides the, the nurse will be here to set up my antibiotics drip for the morning and that and the uh opioids make me feel strange.I don’t like it.” 

“You just had major surgery! Your leg is being held together by pins and you’d rather be clear headed and miserable than a bit woozy and relaxed?” 

Ian blinked a few times seemingly not having expected Ellie to come back with a rational argument. 

“I warned you back on the island, you have no idea how tenacious she is.”

“That you did.” 

“You’ll learn, I know I had to. You can’t fight Ellie.” 

“He’s right you can’t.” She chimed in sliding the PCA remote into Ian’s hand. “Take your medicine and get some rest. Alan and I will get out of your hair for now, but we’ll be back later.” 

The two began to take their leave but just as they had almost crossed the threshold Ellie remembered her promise. 

“Oh and Ian, I called your friend Karen, she’s passed your message along to your kids.” 

Ian nodded sheepishly . “Oh uh, thank you Dr. Sattler. You uh, You didn’t have to do that.” 

“I did though.” She closed the door behind her as she walked out. 

—-

Alan walked back into the main room as he folded up the towel he’d just used and pulled on a clean shirt. Ellie looked up at him suddenly from where she sat drumming her fingers on the small dining table. 

“We can’t let him go back to Texas alone Alan,” she pinched the bridge of her nose just below where her thin gold framed glasses sat. “It would be irresponsible of us at this point.” 

“ _Irresponsible?_ Ellie we weren’t the ones that got him into this mess, Hammond did.” 

“No we didn’t, but do you think John’s going to take responsibility for this beyond what Ingen will offer us in damages. Fucksake if it were you in his place and I was back in Montana I’d be on a plane down here within an hour, yet no one has come for him.” 

“He said it himself, he’s got no impulse control, he’s probably got a list of people a mile long he’s left out to dry after he squoze every drop of goodwill out them. What makes you think we would be any different?” 

“What makes you think _he_ won’t be any different.” 

“Beg your pardon?” 

“His entire life has just been flipped upside down Alan. He’ll be lucky to come out of this with just a limp, and who's to say he wasn’t the one left out to dry. He wanted to distract the Rex from the kids, that’s a selfless act, and he obviously cares about his own children a lot given recent events.” 

Alan put a hand up placatingly. “I want to be clear I’m not disagreeing with you Ellie, I just wanted to make sure that you’ve put thought into this. This is a massive choice to make for a man we just met.” 

“Butterfly effect at work eh?” She said the smallest ghost of a smile on the corner of her lips. 

Alan sighed overdramatically “Please no more chaos, you didn’t have to listen to him in the car on the way back from the trike.” 

“And you didn’t have to listen to him high on morphine, so I think we’re even.” 

Alan chuckled and pulled the other chair up next to hers. His arm draped around her shoulders “I suppose we are. We ought to let Jared know our medical leave is going to be a bit longer than we let on.” 

“To be fair we have accumulated a couple months PTO but we always made excuses not to take it.” Ellie leans into his embrace. Do you really think we should go right back to working with dinosaurs,when almost every night one of us is reliving them trying to kill us?” 

He sighed “You do have a good point.” 


	3. The Things We Leave Behind

Ellie was trying very hard to not to overthink what she was doing as she stepped off the plane into the dry heat of Dallas in the summer. It was a welcome change to the extreme humidity of Costa Rica but there was no time to enjoy being back in the states. She had work to do. Alan had stayed behind to make sure Ian’s upcoming transfer to Seton Medical Center in Austin went smoothly. 

She stood at the luggage carousel awkwardly looking around for the woman she’d spoken to on the phone. It wasn’t until she’d hauled off of her suitcase and Ian’s that she was approached by a woman in a floral sundress. Ellie knew this was Karen before she introduced herself, she could see the familial resemblance between Karen and Ian in the shape of her face. 

“Ellen Sattler?” 

“That’s me, but please, call me Ellie.” She said extending her hand to shake Karen’s. 

“Ellie it is, I’m Karen, do you need help with those?” Karen asked, looking at the two suitcases Ellie was fumbling with, Ian’s was of course more suited to be carried by a 6’4” man. 

“Yeah thanks, we can talk more in the car. Thank you again for all this.” Ellie knew that this was odd for both of them and that she was taking some creative liberties given the NDA they had all signed before they had gone to the park. 

The walk to the car was awkwardly silent, Ellie squinted in the afternoon sun as they made their way to the parking garage and Karen popped the trunk on her silver Honda Civic. Karen hefted Ian’s suitcase into the trunk then nodded at Ellie to put hers in next to it. “It’s three hours to Austin, we can grab something to eat on the way if you like.” 

“Sure if it’s not too much trouble. I haven’t had anything to eat since this morning,” Ellie sat in the passenger seat and adjusted the seat “So you’re Ian’s cousin you said?” 

“Yeah, though we grew up close, we’re more like siblings that way. I’m also the legal guardian of his daughter Kelly. I don’t know if he mentioned much about his family situation.” 

“He didn’t. What happened?” 

“Ian’s a good man really, he just tends to get caught up in his head a lot. He’s always been like that and that’s great when you’re a mathematician, it’s how he’s gotten where he is in life… it’s just less great when you have people in your life that need you to be there for them,” Karen sighed. “So when Kelly’s mom up and vanished leaving the both of them to pick up the pieces, it wasn’t hard for the court to deem him unfit to have full custody of her. My partner and I stepped up and she lives with us here in Dallas, goes to a good school and gets to see her dad on school breaks.” 

She nodded, things were clicking into place about Ian that she hadn’t stopped to think about before now. He really was a desperately lonely man who didn’t experience the world the same way most people did and he had paid the price for it. 

“He mentioned having three kids, where are the other two?” 

“With their mom, Ian’s first wife. They married young, they were high school sweethearts in their first year of college. They both made some bad decisions, had twins and ultimately split apart. He took it pretty badly and got into drinking around then, he pulled himself out of the pit he dug eventually but he burned a lot of bridges doing it.” 

Ellie found herself relieved that she’d been able to push Alan to go along with this with her. No one deserves to be abandoned in their time of need and Ellie was willing to show Ian that she and Alan were different from the other people in his life he had counted on. 

“I hope you don’t mind my asking Ellie, but you were very vague over the phone. What exactly happened down there?” Ellie knew this question was unavoidable. She had been expecting it but even still the question hung in the air for a minute as she gathered her thoughts. She knew what she was _meant to_ say; what the Ingen lawyers had told every single one of them to say. However, the feelings of everything that had happened on the island were still raw and at the forefront, she’d have to be mindful that nothing she said was out of line. 

“Well the only way to get into or out of the preserve was via helicopter due to the remote location. Upon take off to ferry us to our research station for the weekend the oncoming tropical storm caused an unusual air current our pilot couldn’t have accounted for. The aircraft crashed into a heavily forested area of the reserve making rescue operations difficult. Just as well the communication system in the reserve was downed by the storm so our radio wasn’t working. It took until morning for them to get us out of there.” 

Ellie looked down at her legs, her hands were clenched over her knees hard enough she could see the white of her knuckles. She took a deep breath to steady herself, it was just a tiny lie, after all NDA or not she’d sound like a crazy person spouting off that they went to an island full of dinosaurs and been attacked after a disgruntled employee took the security system offline. 

“And Ian injured his leg in the crash?” Karen looked at Ellie for a second before turning her attention back to the road. “I’m sorry, if this is all too much I can shut up.” 

“No, no! You’re fine, it’s all just still very fresh is all. It wasn’t an easy scenario for any of us as you can tell,” Ellie relaxed a bit before continuing. “But to answer your question yes. There were two children along with us at the behest of the financier of the reserve and when Ian realized they were in danger he put his own safety on the line to protect them. Unfortunately making that choice directly caused the events that led to him severely injuring his leg on impact.” 

“I see. Ian wasn’t the only injured in the crash was he?” 

“No, my partner was injured, though not as severely. That’s why he’s still in Costa Rica, I was roughed up but it’s nothing compared to what they went through.” 

That was a lie and it almost made tears well up in Ellie’s eyes. She hadn’t been as badly hurt or exposed to the elements and dinosaurs overnight without shelter, but she had faced the raptors in close quarters and had the misfortune of being the one to find Mr.Arnold’s severed arm. 

She had the feeling Karen didn’t fully believe her, she couldn’t blame her for that she supposed. Ellie wasn’t sure she would believe herself if she was being told this story. That could be dealt with later though, it wasn’t her job to sell this woman on what happened or not, she was here to help Ian and that was the most important part. 

The rest of the way into Austin the two were mostly silent save for small talk about what was being discussed on the radio or things on the roadside. Ellie had only been to Texas once or twice with Alan to attend paleontology expositions at various universities, the landscape caught her attention. It was so different from Montana, flat with rolling hills and no mountains to speak of. It felt open, exposed almost, there was nothing and nowhere to hide. 

They pulled into a quiet suburban neighborhood, it almost seemed too normal for this to be the place Ian would choose to live. They drove past children playing in the street and people walking their dogs, normal people living their normal lives, none of them knowing the natural order had just been changed. Finally the car came to a stop in front of a house with a black Nissan Altima parked in front. 

“Here’s the spare keys, car keys included. I have to go back to Dallas tonight but I’ll be back once Ian has been transferred to Seton.” Karen slid the keys into Ellie’s hand and got out of the car to help unpack the trunk. 

“Thank you for all the help Karen, I’m sorry this was so sudden.” 

“Yeah you’re welcome, I’m just glad Ian’s got someone like you looking out for him. I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you but you’re a good woman Ellie. Ian’s lucky to have you as a friend,” Karen nodded and set down the suitcase on the porch, “I best be going. Call me if you need anything before I come back.” 

Ellie watched Karen drive off before she turned to face Ian’s front door. She put the key in the lock and opened the door. It almost felt intrusive to enter but she couldn’t stand in the doorway any longer, so she grabbed Ian’s suitcase first and hauled it into the house, then her own. As the door clicked shut behind her she fumbled along the wall for a light switch.

She blinked in the light as it switched on and found a house frozen in time. Papers Ian had to grade laid out on his coffee table, a coffee mug left half drank beside them, forgotten as if its owner had realized at the last moment that he needed to be somewhere in the morning. He really had planned to just be gone for the weekend. Ellie moved carefully so as to not disturb anything as she walked by and into the kitchen, flipping on the lights there as well. A cork board was attached to the wall by a desk where a computer and the phone sat. 

Ellie approached, adjusting her glasses to look at it better, due date reminders for lectures, phone numbers of colleagues, and pictures of Ian and his kids were all stuck to it. She realized she was being nosey and turned her attention to the sink, it was half full of dishes. 

She looked around and wondered how long it had been since he’d done the dishes, and how much he probably wouldn’t want to come home to a messy house. She had always taken it upon herself to make sure their house in Montana was clean for when they came back from digs and really this was no different, it might not be a big deal to Ian but it was to her. 

Carefully she gathered the papers left on the table and sorted them back into the plastic box labeled ‘Student responses’. Once that was out of the way she tackled the kitchen, by the time she was done the clock on the oven read 2:30am. 

She’d lost track of time, but then again she’d been having trouble sleeping to begin with and the idea of sleeping alone in an unfamiliar house definitely wasn’t helping. She shuffled over to the couch, it would be too _weird_ to sleep in Ian’s bed even if he wasn’t there. She turned on the TV for background noise and grabbed the frayed blanket that hung over the top of the couch. 

It wasn’t as comfy as hers and Alan’s bed but she’d rank it on par with the travel bed at the dig site. 

—-

She woke with a start when the nature documentary that had come on in the background started playing bird noises. They sounded too much like the raptors back on Isla Nublar for her liking. She puts her glasses on and stumbles to the bathroom catching the time on the analogue wall clock, five in the morning, much too early given when she went to bed. 

Ellie still felt extremely anxious even after washing her face in the sink. She knew she had already been nosey as it was but she couldn’t help but look around the rest of the house while she tried to calm down. 

Immediately across the hall from the guest bathroom was a guest bedroom that had clearly been decorated by Kelly. A couple boy band posters hung up on the wall proof of a preteens presence, the night stand had a digital clock and more pictures of Ian and Kelly. Ellie smiled as she left the room, it was charming in a way she couldn’t put to words, though the girl wasn’t here often it was clear they had a good relationship. 

At the end of the hall was Ian’s room, which she found to be surprisingly neat compared to the front of the house. His bed was made save for the spot he obviously slept in and while she had expected to find clothes all over the floor she was surprised to find it was spotless. There was a distinct lack of decor in the room save for some dusty bookshelves and more family pictures, through a side door the master bathroom connected to the bedroom. 

The bathroom was also very tidy leaving her to wonder why he’d left the front of his house so messy, then again she supposed that it was possible he’d just not gotten around to it before leaving. Or perhaps he just enjoyed having a clean room in the chaos of the rest of the house, she would have to ask him when he was recovered. 

Despite her earlier misgivings there was something _comforting_ now about Ian’s bed as she looked at it. She approached somewhat cautiously though that made her feel silly, it was a bed, it couldn’t bite her. She slid into the unmade side and felt comforted by the fact the covers held the lingering scent of Ian’s aftershave. 

She didn’t know how to explain the feeling that ate at her, her relationship with Alan was stable and unchanged but she felt herself wanting to extend those same feelings to Ian. There would be time to work this out, now though all she wanted was to sleep. 


End file.
